Vending-machine for newspapers and similar articles.



w. c. ZIEBARTH. VENDING MACHINE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEEI' l.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. I916: 1,240,526,

\ WAW 1 'NDECLARATION OF l l i-- FIG. 1.

.Brlus 171mm W. C. ZIEBARTH.

VENDING MACHINE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 24, 19I6- 1,240,526. PatentedSept. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEEI' 2.

QNVELNTOR.

W. U, ZIELBARTH BY H16 ATTORNEY.-

UNITED STA WILLIAM C. ZIEBARTH, 0F SIOUX FALLS, SQU'JLH EEAKOTA.

VENDIiq'G-MACHIIIE FOR NEWSPAPERS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 18, 1917..

Application filed October as, 1916. Serial No. 127,463.

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. Zrnnanrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sioux Falls, in the county of Minnehaha and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and useful Vending-Machine for Newspapers and Similar Articles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vending machines, and the object is to provide a coin operated device for the sale of newspapers on railway trains, depots and other places where it is desired to -let the public buy newspapers or periodicals without keeping a salesman there to deliver and collect for each paper.

In theaccompanying drawing, Figure l is a front elevation of my newspaper vending machine. Fig. 2 is a right hand end view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line a-a Fig. 1. Fig. 4c is a longitudinal central section of the cgin operated mechanism on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the machine with its end wall removed and some parts in section on the line 0-0 Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the upper part of the machine with the case in section on the line 6-4) in Figs. 2

and 5. Fig. 7 is a partly sectional side view of a drum holding a slip showing the head lines or contents of the paper offered for sale in the machine. Fig. 8 is a modification of the drum sh wn in Fig. 7. Fig. is an enlarged fragmentary view showing moreclearly ho the shelf supporting levers are held in position by spring washers. Fig. 10

1s a face view of the washer in Fig. 9. Figs. 11 and 12 are modifications of the frame or plate supporting each paper until it is dropped into position for delivery from the machine. 7

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 1 designates the main case or body of the device, which may preferably be made of sheet iron, and within it is fixed suitable frame work 2 for the mechanism of .the device. Said inclosure is provided with a door 3 hinged at 4. and havinga lock 5, and below the door-is mounted on pivots 6 a coin box 7, which is held in closed position one copy of. the paper stored in the device.

As best shown in Fig. 4, at one end ofthe shaft 11 is fixed a cylinder 12 having two opposite side slots 13, either one of which when turned upward will receive a five-cent piece -or other coin V when the latter is dropped from a chute 14:, into which it is deposited by the party wanting a paper.

Within the cylinder 12 is loosely fitted a core 15 having a longitudinal diametrical slot 16, provided with shoulders 17 which prevent the coin V from droppin through but hold it in such a position that-it engages the edges of the slots 13 and thus locks the cylinder 12 and the core 15 together, and as the core is then given half a turn by its crank 18, namely from the stop 19 to the stop 20 on the case, the slot 16 becomes inverted and the coin drops out of it and into the coin box, whereupon the crank 18 is returned to the stop 19 by a spring 21 (shownin Fig. 3) this returning movement of the crank and core does not stir the shaft 11, which is frictionally held by having the cap 22 of one of its bearings 22 drawn more or p less tight upon the shaft by ascrew 23.

Parallel to the shaft 11 is journaled in the upper part of the frame a shaft 24, on which are fixed two sprockets 25 driven by chains 26 from the sprockets 12 on the lower shaft '11. On said chains is secured a horizontal ends the skeleton shelves or frames 29, on

which the folded papers to be sold are I placed as indicated by dotted lines 30 in Figs. 3 and 5, one paper on each shelf. Said shelves being suitably hinged at 31 to the rear wall, will, in turn from the lowest to lapped almost' semicylindrical. troughs 33,

which are trunnioned in the case at 34 and provided each with a rocker arm 35 (see Fig. .2) operated by a link 36 from a vertically slidable member 37, the latter having a handle 38 projecting out of a slot 39 in the end of the case.

Each time a paper has been dropped into said troughs by depositing a coin and turning the crank downward and releasing it, the operator thereafter presses downward on the handle 38 so as to spread and invert the troughs and let the paper drop out of them and down through the outlet 32.

It will thus be seen that if the handle 38 be pressed down without first depositing the coin, no paper will drop from the troughs and no paper farther up can be reached, because whenever the lower edges of the troughs spread enough to form a passage the upper edges are thereby closed so as to prevent access to the papers on the shelves. The troughs drop to their normal downward position by their own weight, and they, or at least the rear one of them is provided with deep notches 40 (see Fig. 3) as clearings for the bars of the lower shelves when they are folded downward, or if the lowest shelf even in its level position may be reached by the troughs.

Mounted to rotate in the top of the case is a drum 41, having rings 42 with flanges 43 for holding the opposite edges of a sheet of paper 44, bent about the drum and having printed upon it the main headings of news to be found in the newspaperplaced for sale in the device. One of said rings 42 may be slidable on the drum and provided with a set screw 45 for securing it in place after the sheet 44 has been inserted. Or, the two rings may be permanently fixed on the drum and provided with notches 46 through-which the sheet may be pushed in until it assumes a cylindrical form about the drum and is thus held by the flanges of the ring.

At one end of the drum is fixed a gear wheel 47 which for every other paper that, is sold is rotated by a mutilated or half moon shaped gear 48. The latter gear is fixed on a counter shaft 49 having a sprocket 5O driven by a chain 51 from a sprocket 52 fixed on the shaft 24.

On the counter shaft 49 is also fixed a pinion 53 driving a gear wheel 54, which is loose on the drum shaft 41 and carries a dial 55 having numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 &c. visible through a sight aperture 56 in the case. Said numbers serve to indicate how many papers have been sold from the machine of those last placed in it. For ordinary sale the numbers on the dial may not exceed 20 or 25 and that many papers are then placed in the machine, but where a larger demand for papers is known to exist, the machine may be built of any desired size and have numbers to correspond with the number of shelves arranged to hold papers in the machine. v

In'Fig. 9 is best shown how each supporting lever 27 is frictionally held between a spring washer 57 and the head 58 of a screw serving as pivot for the lever. In Fig. 10 is shown how the spring washer if not round may be prevented from turning by having a slotted hole 59 with a stud 60 projecting into it from the frame post 2".

In Fig. 11 is shown how the paper supporting shelves 29 may be bail shaped and have trunnions 61 placed in the bearings 31 in Fig. 5. In Fig. 12 is shown how each shelf may be arched and each leg of the arch have an eye 62 for a pivot bar 63 to go into the bearings 31. In either case, but especially when the shelves are constructed as in Figs. 11 and 12, one of the chains 26 and the bar 26 may be dispensed with and each shelf may be supported on only one of the levers 27 and said lever tilted by a suitable block or carrier fixed on the remaining chain 26.

In Fig. 1 is shown how the door 3 has an aperture 3 through which the contents of the sheet 44 may be seen when exposed as already described. In said view the words Declaration of war represents any of the difierent news heading on the sheet as they are moved and for some time held in view in the aperture.

It is obvious that if so desired, books, novels and even merchandise in boxes or packages may be sold from this machine.

What I claim is 1. In a vending machine, an inclosure for goods, the same having a bottom opening for the sold goods to pass out, an escapement normally closing said bottom opening, and means for opening the said escapement; said escapement comprising two segmentally curved plates mounted to swing on a horizontal axis and partly overlap and-thereby close the opening and to leave an opening between them when swung in opposite directions.

2. In a coin-controlled vending machine, an inclosure for goods, the same having a bottom opening for the sold goods to pass out, a series of skeleton shelves hinged one above the other to one side of the inclosure, means for supporting the shelves temporarily in levelposition, and means for releasing each shelf and let it drop to a hanging position; an escapement normally closing the bottom opening of the inclosure and means for opening the said escapement; said escapement comprising two segmentally curved plates mounted to swing on a horizontal axis and partly overlap and thereby close the opening and to leave an opening between them when swung in opposite directions;

said plates having deep transverse notches 10 livery of goods from it and from the shelves above it.

In testimony whereof I afiix my-signature. 15

WILLIAM C. ZIEBARTH. 

